Light on sugar but heavy on flavor, this sweet potato casserole with pecan oatmeal streusel is sure to become a holiday favorite! Tender roasted sweet potatoes are blended with creamy vanilla yogurt and topped with an irresistible cinnamon pecan oatmeal streusel for a healthier twist on a classic Thanksgiving side dish.
The countdown to Thanksgiving is on and I could not be more excited! Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays (hello, FOOD), but this year in particular is especially exciting. That’s because, for the first time ever, my husband and I are going to be the ones hosting the feast! And not only that, but we’re going to be hosting in our new apartment.. on the west coast!
Clearly there have been quite a few changes since we last spoke nearly six (!!) months ago. So allow me catch you up to speed real quick… In a matter of three short, stressful, and exhilarating months, I manage to defend my 100-page thesis, graduate from my Masters program, get married, go on a honeymoon, pack my life into boxes, and drive across the country with my husband (of one week!) to start our new life together out in Nevada. On top of all that, throw a new job, plenty of travel, and all of the other adjustments that come with moving across the country into the mix and I was left with very little time (or motivation) for the blog.
But, all that changed when I had the privilege to travel to Vermont in September to attend Blog Brûlée, an invitation-only experiential event designed specifically for healthy food bloggers. Being around so many talented dietitian and healthy food bloggers completed reignited my passion for blogging and reminded me of why of I started this blog in the first place: to share my passion and for all things food and nutrition with people like YOU. Over the course of three days, I learned so many things about food photography, branding, social media, etc.. and I can’t wait to put what I learned to use to create even better and more meaningful content for you!
But, more on that later. For now, we have more time-sensitive things to talk about.. like this incredible sweet potato casserole with pecan oatmeal streusel that you absolutely need in your life (no exaggeration, promise).
For as long as I can remember, sweet potato casserole has been a staple side dish at our family Thanksgivings. In fact, much of my infatuation with the orange spud can likely be traced back to the many years I spent at the designated holiday “kids table” shoveling mounds of marshmallow-slathered taters into my tiny little mouth. So, all this to say I’ve had plenty of experience with sweet potato casseroles in my day.
And this right here? This is arguably the BEST sweet potato casserole that I have ever seen/tasted/smelled/etc. Annnnd it just so happens to be quite a bit healthier than most traditional sweet potato casseroles! Go figure.
This sweet potato casserole with pecan oatmeal streusel contains only a small amount of added sugar (a mere 3 tablespoons for the entire batch!), but still manages to deliver ALL the flavor and sweetness that you’ve come to love and expect out of this classic American side dish.
Roasting the sweet potatoes (rather than boiling, as most recipes call for) brings out their natural sweetness, meaning that less added sugar is needed to achieve your desired sweetness. Meanwhile, marshmallows are replaced with a simple pecan oatmeal streusel that is SO good you’ll wonder why you never tried this combination before. Honestly though.. the velvety texture of the sweet potatoes, combined with the crunch of the pecan streusel? I DIE.
While we’re on the topic of texture, let’s chat a little more about these sweet potatoes. On a creaminess scale of 0 to 10, they’re a solid 12.5 (and that’s being modest). And all it takes is 4 simple ingredients: vanilla yogurt, almond milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. That’s it! No butter or sugar in sight. Just whip those ingredients all together using a stand mixer or handheld blender and you’re good to go.
I know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you probably already have your menu set.. but If you haven’t decided on a sweet potato casserole for the big day yet, then please, please, please consider giving this one a try! I seriously cannot get enough of it. The yogurt adds a rich, creamy, luxurious texture to the sweet potato filling that is straight up DREAMY, while the pecan oatmeal streusel adds just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. I’m not even the slightest bit ashamed to tell you that I made it twice in the past two weeks and have successfully polished off BOTH pans almost single-handedly. Annnnd I’m already counting down the days until we meet again on Thanksgiving (T-minus three days!)
Oh! I almost forgot to mention one of my favorite things about this recipe (you know, aside from the 2384253 things I’ve already listed).. It can be prepped ahead of time!!
If your family is anything like mine, then you know that oven/kitchen/counter space is hard to come by on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, this sweet potato casserole has a few different make-ahead options to help make day-of preparations as stress-free as possible.
How to make sweet potato casserole ahead of time:
Option 1: Sweet potatoes may be roasted up to two days in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge (I would recommend scooping the flesh out of the skins while they’re still slightly warm); simply bring the sweet potatoes to room temperature before whipping them with the remaining ingredients, topping with the streusel, and baking in the oven.
Option 2: Take your meal prep one step further by preparing the entire dish as written. Once prepared, cover the unbaked casserole and place the in the fridge. On the day of, remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature before baking as instructed (keep an eye on the streusel, as you may need to add a few extra minutes to the bake time).
As always, let me know if you give this recipe a try. Shoot me a message below or tag @rootstorisenutrition on social media so I can admire your creations! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
PS: stay tuned on Instagram later this week, where I’ll be sharing plenty of delicious ways to use up any leftovers you may have (although, I’m willing to bet the chances of that are slim to none..)
Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Oatmeal Streusel
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes:
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt, Greek or Icelandic style see note
- ½ cup milk of choice I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the pecan oatmeal streusel:
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup flour all-purpose, whole-wheat, gluten-free, etc.
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the yogurt drizzle (optional):
- 1 tablespoon vanilla yogurt, Greek or Icelandic style
- 2 teaspoons milk of choice
Instructions
For the sweet potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) and grease a 9" baking dish with butter or oil.
- Using a fork, pierce each potato about 5-7 times. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, cut in half lengthwise, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Scoop the flesh of the potatoes into a large mixing bowl; discard the skins. Add remaining sweet potato ingredients (yogurt, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg). Use a handheld mixer (or the wire whisk attachment of a kitchenaid) to blend the ingredients together until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Transfer sweet potato mixture to the prepared baking dish, using the back of a spoon or spatula to smooth the top.
For the pecan oatmeal streusel:
- Add all dry ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Gradually pour in melted butter and continue to stir until all ingredients are equally wet.
- Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potatoes and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.
For the yogurt drizzle (optional):
- In a small bowl, whisk yogurt and milk together. Drizzle over warm casserole.
Notes
